Penn State Wrestling News: Three Nittany Lions Vying for NCAA’s ‘Most Dominant’ Award

Three Penn State wrestlers, all of whom are NCAA championship contenders, rank among the top 10 nationally for the NCAA’s Most Dominant Wrestler award, a season-long race that rewards scoring points and dominating victories. The NCAA this week released updated standings for a series of awards that will be given out after the NCAA Championships in March in Philadelphia.

Penn State’s Carter Starocci (184 pounds), Mitchell Mesenbrink (165) and Josh Barr (197) rank among the top-10 contenders for the Most Dominant Wrestler award in Division I. Penn State is the only team with three wrestlers in the top 10. Oklahoma State has two, including heavyweight Wyatt Hendrickson, who leads the nation in average points per bout (5.22). Starocci is second (5.11), Mesenbrink is third (5) and Barr is tied for ninth (4.44).

Scoring for the Most Dominant Wrestler Award is determined by how wrestlers won and lost. Wrestlers earn six points for a fall, forfeit or injury default; five points for a technical fall, four points for a major decision and three points for a decision. Wrestlers lose the same number of points for losses in each category.

Starocci (18-0) has won 16 bouts this season with bonus points, including six pins and seven technical falls. He has been ranked No. 1 all season by InterMat Wrestling and seeks to become the first Division I wrestler to win five NCAA individual titles.

Mesenbrink (19-0) leads the nation in technical falls with 15 and has won every bout with bonus points. That includes two major decisions and two forfeits. Mesenbrink, the NCAA runnerup at 165 pounds last season, holds the top spot entering the Big Ten Championships. The redshirt sophomore has scored a team-high 55 takedowns this season without allowing any.

Barr (15-1) is ranked No. 2 at 197 pounds, having lost only to top-ranked Stephen Buchanan of Iowa. Barr also has been a scoring machine, generating six pins and five technical falls. The redshirt freshman ranks third on the team in dual points and bonus points.

Penn State (15-0) won its fifth straight Big Ten regular-season title and concluded its fifth consecutive unbeaten season recently. The Nittany Lions have won 71 consecutive matches dating to 2020 and can break Oklahoma State’s Division I men’s record of 76 straight wins next season. Eight of Penn State’s 10 starters are ranked first or second nationally, according to InterMat. And every Penn State starter is ranked in the top 8.

Next up for Penn State is the Big Ten Championships, scheduled for March 8-9 at Northwestern.